Injury Report
| Player |
Team |
Date |
Status |
Info |
| James Wiseman |
Golden State Warriors |
25 Mar 2022 |
Out (Knee) |
Wiseman will miss the remainder of the season as he recovers from a knee injury. |
| Andre Iguodala |
Golden State Warriors |
19 Apr 2022 |
Day to Day (Neck) |
Iguodala was OUT for Golden State’s Monday (Apr. 18) game. |
| Jamal Murray |
Denver Nuggets |
22 Jul 2021 |
Out (Knee) |
Murray is recovering from a torn ACL and there is no timetable for his return. |
| Michael Porter Jr. |
Denver Nuggets |
27 Feb 2022 |
Out (Back) |
There is no timetable for Porter Jr.’s return. |
How Can the Warriors Beat the Nuggets?
The Golden State Warriors have the firepower to outpace the Denver Nuggets. If they want to go up 3-0 on the season series, Golden State would do well to get off to a strong start against the Nuggets.
The Nuggets have put up a good fight against the Warriors to open games, winning the last two first quarters by a combined margin of 2 points. In comparison, the Warriors have won the second and third quarters of both games by a combined margin of 140 to 98.
It isn’t as if the Warriors are playing poorly, but it would serve them well to put the pressure on the Nuggets from the outset. Taking control of the game in the first quarter would put the paltry Nuggets offence in a difficult position as the game wears on.
Warriors Key Player: (G) Jordan Poole
In a team that sports four possible hall of famers, young guard Jordan Poole has stolen the spotlight from each of Golden State’s biggest stars. Seemingly unstoppable from the field, Poole’s offence makes the Warriors too much to handle.
In the Warriors’ Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, Poole was on fire from the field. Starting in place of Stephen Curry, Poole posted 29 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals on 10 of 16 shooting from the field and 5 of 10 shooting from three.
If Poole can maintain his offensive production, especially with Curry coming off the bench, the Warriors will be too much for the Nuggets to handle. His ability to make the correct decision on closeouts will help Golden State immensely against Denver’s active defence.
How Can the Nuggets Beat the Warriors?
The Denver Nuggets have reason to be concerned when they take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 3. They’ve been blown out in their first two games, and they can’t afford another loss in Game 3.
No team in the NBA has won a playoff series after going down 0-3 in a series, so the importance of this game is clear. If they hope to beat the Warriors, Denver needs to be able to take something away from Golden State’s offence. Denver has allowed Golden State to shoot 53.6% from the field and 44.0% from three in their first two games.
Nikola Jokic is certain to produce at the MVP-level that he commands. All eyes will be on the Nugget’s supporting cast, to see whether or not they can take at least one aspect of the Warriors’ offence away. If they can’t threaten the Warriors with their defence, Denver can’t match them in a scoring contest.
Nuggets Key Player: (F) Aaron Gordon
The Denver Nuggets hoped to have Jamal Murray available to them by the post-season, but they haven’t been fortunate in his recovery. Down 2-0 and starting a two-game home stand, Aaron Gordon is the obvious Nuggets member that must step up.
The ultra-athletic power forward may not have an offensive focus like when he was leading the Magic, but he must be more productive playing off of Jokic. In his first two playoff games, Gordon is averaging just 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 31.6% shooting from the field and 14.3% from three.
Considering his strength and finishing ability, Gordon should be scoring more efficiently in the paint. If Gordon can’t support Jokic on the offensive end, it’ll be another in the loss column for Denver.
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